BACKGROUND The Food and Drug Administration (FDA) is examining options for regulating menthol content in cigarettes. There are many pharmacologic properties of menthol that may facilitate exposure to tobacco smoke, and it has been suggested that the preference for menthol cigarettes in black smokers accounts for their higher cotinine levels. OBJECTIVE To assess cigarettes smoked per day-adjus...

Several temperature-activated transient receptor potential (thermoTRP) ion channels are the molecular receptors of natural compounds that evoke thermal and pain sensations. Menthol, popularly known for its cooling effect, activates TRPM8--a cold-activated thermoTRP ion channel. However, human physiological studies demonstrate a paradoxical role of menthol in modulation of warm sensation, and he...

Although cold hyperalgesia is a frequent symptom in patients with neuropathic pain, it is poorly understood. We investigated the mechanisms of cold pain by studying the effect of menthol on pain, temperature perception, touch sensation and skin perfusion. In 10 subjects, 40% l-menthol, and ethanol, serving as control, were topically applied to the forearm in a double-blinded two-way crossover s...

To understand the mechanism of photosynthetic inhibition and generation of reactive oxygen species (ROS) in Symbiodinium types under stress, chemicals such as dichlorophenyl dimethylurea (DCMU) are widely used. Moreover, DCMU and recently menthol were used to generate aposymbiotic cnidarian hosts. While the effects of DCMU on Symbiodinium cells have been extensively studied, no studies have sho...

Exposure and toxicity studies comparing menthol and nonmenthol cigarettes have resulted in mixed results. On the basis of those results, cigarette manufacturers have concluded that there is no increased harm from the addition of menthol to cigarettes. We propose that such a narrow definition of harm is not appropriate in dealing with the issue of menthol, and its broader negative public health ...

(-)-Menthol ([1-alpha]-5-methyl-2-[1-methylethyl]-cyclohexanol), is a widely used flavoring ingredient in mouthwash, foods, toothpaste and cigarettes. The studies reported here revealed that (-)-menthol induced cytotoxicity against murine leukemia WEHI-3 cells in vitro in a dose-dependent manner. The effects of (-)-menthol on WEHI-3 cells in vivo (BALBIc mice) were also examined, and it was obs...

BACKGROUND The U.S. Food and Drug Administration has the authority to regulate tobacco product constituents, including menthol, if the scientific evidence indicates harm. Few studies, however, have evaluated the health effects of menthol cigarette use. OBJECTIVE To investigate associations of cigarette smoking and menthol cigarette use with all-cause, cancer and cardiovascular risk in U.S. ad...

We investigated the absorption and metabolism pharmacokinetics of a single L-menthol oral versus skin administration and the effects on human thermogenesis and metabolic rate. Twenty healthy adults were randomly distributed into oral (capsule) and skin (gel) groups and treated with 10 mg kg(-1) L-menthol (ORALMENT; SKINMENT) or control (lactose capsule: ORALCON; water application: SKINCON) in a...

OBJECTIVE To determine what the tobacco industry knew about the potential effects of menthol on smoking topography-how a person smokes a cigarette. METHODS A snowball strategy was used to systematically search the Legacy Tobacco Documents Library (http://legacy.library.ucsf.edu) between 1 June 2010 and 9 August 2010. We qualitatively analysed a final collection of 252 documents related to men...

INTRODUCTION This study analyzes tobacco industry menthol marketing strategies aimed at urban predominantly Black populations. METHODS Data are drawn from an interview with a former Brown & Williamson Tobacco Company trade marketing manager, tobacco industry documents on Kool promotions in urban areas, and public health literature on tobacco marketing. RESULTS Tobacco companies recognize th...